Justification of a low GPA

Director Justification rules

• In SLATE, applications with a CGPA greater than 2.7 and less than 3.0 are expected to be sent to the Director Justification bin. For instructions on how to review files in the Director Justification Bin, please refer to the Slate Admissions Knowledge Base.

The rules for the Director Justification bin are as follows:

• It applies to all programs (except Management Gr.C. or M. Programs):
  • And - Accepted by the department with CGPA less than 3.0.
  • OR - Fast Track application, accepted by the department, CGPA less than 3.5.
  • OR - Back Track application, accepted by the department.
  • OR - Direct Entry Ph.D.1 recommendation.

Associate Dean Justification rules

• For applicants with a validated CGPA of less than 2.7, these files are expected to be sent to the Associate Dean Justification.
• Files in the Associate Dean Justification bin require two verifications: one from the Director and a second one from the Associate Dean.

The inclusion of a student with a low GPA in a fellowship competition should be addressed through comments on the recommendations already allowed by the competitions. These comments should be included on the competition’s required forms.  Extra documents are not acceptable. 

A recommending supervisor and/or the departmental nomination is the most appropriate place to address a low GPA. In some cases, this justification will guarantee the inclusion of the student; in some cases, it will not. If you have any questions, contact GPS Fellowships.

Examples of admissible, compelling circumstances

These circumstances should be addressed in the Departmental assessment or a separate letter, as applicable to the competition. In some competitions, there will be no exceptions made to GPA requirement.

• Illness of student or immediate family member where the student was primary care-giver
• Foreign GPA conversion, where the converted grade does not reflect student achievement
• Courses completed in an unrelated field of study
• Significant field experience gained since studies earlier in academic career; a significant gap between earlier studies and current program.